This October, the heavens want us to look up. Saturn will have its moment. Two meteor showers will come through. Mars and the Moon will have a little rendezvous. And, before the month is over, the Hunter's Moon will take over the sky.

Fortunately, most of this requires less equipment than our fifth-grade astronomy unit led us to believe.

October 4 | Saturn Gets Its Big Night

Saturn is ready for its close-up. On October 4th, it will reach opposition, meaning the Earth will be positioned between Saturn and the sun.

For us, that means Saturn will be visible all night, giving us plenty of time to find it. NASA's Night Sky Network calls the ringed planet one of the jewels of our solar system, and this is a great night to see why.

You'll need a telescope if you want a proper look at those famous rings. So, this might be a good time to become friends with someone who owns one.

October 5 | The Moon Has a Date With Mars

The very next morning will give us another reason to look up. A crescent moon and Mars will appear close together in the predawn sky on October 5th.

All we have to do is look toward the eastern horizon before sunrise to see the pair. Jupiter will be hanging around nearby, too, as it doesn’t want to miss this particular breakfast meeting.

October 8 - 9 | The Draconids Come Through

We’ll (hopefully) see our first meteor shower of the month when the Draconids peak overnight on the 8th into the 9th. Unlike the meteor showers that we have to set an alarm for, the Draconids will be best viewed in the evening.

The moon should cooperate this year, too, with relatively dark skies, giving the meteors a better chance to stand out. Try to find somewhere away from the bright lights of the city, get comfortable, and give your eyes some time to adjust. No telescope required.

October 10 | Turn Out the Lights for the Milky Way

The new moon arrives on October 10th. And, normally, a moon we can't see wouldn't sound particularly exciting. But, less moonlight means darker skies, and darker skies give us a better chance to see the Milky Way.

Again, if you can get far away from city lights, this will be another nice night to bundle up, look up, and remember that our galaxy has been there the entire time while we've been worrying about that snarky thing our neighbor said yesterday.

October 12 | Mercury Makes Itself a Little Easier to Find

Mercury isn't exactly the show-off of our planetary neighborhood. Since it orbits closer to the Sun than we do, Mercury never appears very far from it in our sky, which can make the little planet tricky to spot.

On October 12th, though, Mercury will venture farther from the Sun in our sky, making it easier to spot.

Look low toward the western horizon after sunset, although viewers in the Southern Hemisphere will have a much better shot at seeing it this time around. And definitely wait until the Sun has gone down before you point binoculars or anything else in that direction.

October 21 - 22 | The Orionids Put on a Show

Round two for the meteors. The American Meteor Society says the Orionids will peak overnight from October 21st into the 22nd.

In a typical year, we may see around 10 to 20 meteors per hour, under good conditions. There’s one party crasher this year, though: a bright waxing moon will interfere with our viewing for most of the night.

Still, that moon will set before dawn, leaving us a dark window for meteor hunting. You can probably already tell, but this might be a good one for a thermos full of coffee.

October 26 | The Hunter's Moon Takes Over

No telescope. No binoculars. No hunting around for a tiny dot near the horizon. On October 26th, we get a full moon.

October's full moon is traditionally known as the Hunter's Moon, and it will reach its full phase in the wee hours of the morning. For the prettiest view, head outside around moonrise or moonset, when the moon is low on the horizon and may take on an orange glow.

This is definitely an October attraction that understands the assignment.

October 27 | The Pleiades Play Hide-and-Seek

Right before Halloween, the night sky will have one more trick for us. The moon will pass in front of the stars belonging to the Pleiades on October 27th, temporarily hiding some of them from view.

The Pleiades are also known as the Seven Sisters, although the cluster actually contains far more stars than its nickname suggests.

Binoculars will make this one easier to appreciate. Basically, we're watching the moon play hide-and-seek with stars that are hundreds of light-years away.

Let's Give Our Phones a Night Off

We don't have to see every planet, meteor, or distant cluster on this list. But we can pick a clear night, grab a blanket, and find somewhere dark. There are worse reasons to put down the phone and stand outside for a while.

If we're going to lose sleep over something this October, a meteor streaking across the sky seems more worthwhile than whatever it is we were just about to do on our phones.

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